During my time here in Italy I have seen more than I ever
dreamed possible and experienced things that I never expected. I’ve walked
where Ancient Romans walked, I have seen more masterpieces than I could list,
and I have experienced being in Italy during the resignation of the Pope and
the installation of a new one. Now, after that impressive list above you may be
surprised to find that the experience that has stuck with me the most was a
simple night working in the homeless shelter.
Surprised? Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had the chance to see
some pretty incredible sights, but how many students abroad can say that they
were able to give back during their experience? There are many reasons that
this night has stood out for me the way it has.
One reason is that it gave me a chance to put names and
faces with statistics and generalizations. As a Human Development major, I
loved getting to know some of the sweet people that we were serving. Since I was
cleaning tables, I had the perfect opportunity to talk with many of them. One
lady named Francesca even told me all about her life, or as much as she could. Another
man serenaded me and Emma. He was so excited to have people to talk to. It was
heartbreaking.
Helping out in the homeless shelter was an extremely humbling
experience for all of us. It definitely made me think about everything that I
have been blessed with. Not only am I here watching some of my dreams come true
right in front of my eyes, but I have a loving family and a HOME waiting for me
when I get back. A group of us are even planning a trip back to the homeless
shelter to help out again. I’m looking forward to it!